Martin J. Gleason was Director of Issues Management at the Tobacco Institute circa 1990. He helped organize the Institute's Fire Service Program, designed to neutralize firefighters on the issue of fire-safe cigarettes.

He was involved in many of the tobacco industry's scams. The hierarchy changed over time but essentially Peter G Sparber was in charge of the Issues Management team (but he left their employment and contracted back playing exactly the same role.) Gleason appears to have come under Sparber, and below them were Susan Stuntz and Debra Schoonmaker with a team of a half-dozen or so under them.